Call Kurtis Investigates: The Dark Side of the Locksmith Industry

Locksmith Mohannad Mahfouz tells consumer investigator Kurtis Ming the $50 rate his company advertises will always end up costing customers much more.

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — When locked out and helpless, a fast and fair locksmith can be invaluable — though someone you’ll hopefully never need again.

But the one-time-service nature of locksmiths has cast new shadows onto the centuries-old industry in recent years, as a Call Kurtis undercover investigation has learned.

The investigation exposes a darker side of the locksmith industry that reputable and long-established locksmiths characterize as a major threat to their business — and to vulnerable customers desperate to get back into their homes.

Setting up undercover stings in two homes with more than a dozen cameras, Call Kurtis watched locksmith companies in action.

Locked Out

At 92 years old, Elizabeth Cadway of Sacramento hasn’t lost a bit of her trademark feistiness — or the lifelong smoking habit she admits she doesn’t want to kick.

“At this age, I’m not giving up cigarettes,” she said. “What can they do to me now?”

Cadway insists the locksmith she called jacked up the price of a simple lock picking to $180 — a price he said he’d charge if he had to drill out the lock, she said.

“He never drilled the lock,” she said. “I watched him.”

“I figured I’m getting ripped off here,” she said.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this is way more than he quoted me,” said Pam Warfield of Sacramento after her experience with 24/7 Locksmith Services.

When Pam Warfield of Sacramento locked herself out of her apartment, she said the telephone quote of $50 multiplied to $300 once the work was done.

“You feel taken advantage of,” she said.

And Dudley Dufort of Rio Linda said he paid at least three times as much as he should have to rekey his home after a burglary.

“We paid $952,” he said. “They’re ripping people off.”

Call Kurtis found others complaining about similar locksmith experiences — and decided to hire some locksmiths for an undercover sting.

Setting Up Our Sting

Using two houses in two areas of Sacramento County and two undercover homeowners, Call Kurtis wired up a house with hidden cameras.

“I have locked myself out of my house,” undercover homeowner Joni tells a locksmith company by phone.

“How soon can you be out?” asks undercover homeowner Luanne.

What the locksmith companies don’t know is Call Kurtis asked two veteran locksmiths to demonstrate what it takes to pick the front-door locks we’re using.

Bob Danelz of Natomas Lock & Key unlocks the Kwikset Titan-brand deadlock on one house’s front door without a problem.

“Boom, in,” he said after picking the lock for less than five seconds. “If they can’t pick this Kwikset, they’re in the wrong business.”

Robert Frantz of Jeff’s Locksmith picks the deadbolt of our other house almost as quickly.

“This is a real easy lock to get in,” he said. “Should be able to get in in five minutes.”

During normal hours, both locksmiths charge $65 to $75 for such a job.

But the first locksmith we call refuses to give us an estimate by phone.

Going Undercover

The first locksmith identifies himself as Daniel from 24/7 Locksmith Services. We later learn his full name is Daniel Pinto, BSIS locksmith license 13857.

After checking the lock in person, he tells our undercover homeowner Joni it will cost $160 to pick the deadlock.

“Really?” Joni said. “I’ve had this done before and it’s never been this much money.”

Joni relucantly agrees to the work, and in less than two minutes, Pinto’s in.

“That was easy,” Joni said, before Kurtis Ming asks Pinto about how much he charges.

The Better Business Bureau lists 14 complaints for a company with the same phone number to which 24/7 Locksmith Services responded. Many complain about the company charging high prices for their services.

“They’re not being honest at all,” Warfield said.

“Shut them down and prosecute them,” Dufort said.

The State’s Regulation

Call Kurtis pressed the state’s Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which oversees all locksmith licensing, for answers.

“You’re the regulatory agency,” Ming said. “What are you doing to stop this?”

“When we get complaints, we investigate those complaints,” spokesperson Russ Heimerich said.

The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services regulates locksmith companies and employees in California. It received 281 complaints in the past two years, and has cited 17 locksmiths. No locksmith have had their licenses revoked in that time.

Heimerich told Call Kurtis BSIS had received 281 locksmith complaints in the past two years, but Call Kurtis has learned only 17 locksmiths were actually cited, and none had their licenses revoked.

The BSIS said its resources to investigate bad locksmiths are limited.

“We do the best we can with what we’ve got,” he said.

“Do you think you’re adequately protecting the public from these guys?” Ming asked.

“We are responsible for doing everything we can with the resources we have,” Heimerich said.

The Problem Continues

Cadway is disappointed.

“Nobody tries to help anyone anymore,” she said.

Mahfouz installed another lock for us and refused to take money for the job.

He admitted what he and his company have been doing hasn’t felt right.

“To be honest with you,” he said, “I don’t think I’m going to do this job anymore.”

Mahfouz said when you open the phone book or look online, several of the companies go to the same call centers, which may be out of state.

He then gets dispatched.

We reached out to 24/7 Locksmith Services which did not immediately return our calls.

Picking a Reputable Locksmith

The California Locksmith Association recommends verifying a locksmith’s license before he or she begins any work. The BSIS website allows consumers to check the license of both a locksmith employee and a locksmith company/owner.